County says ERAP is largely spent; will close new applications and continue payments to current awardees

Alachua County announced steps to wind down its Emergency Rental Assistance Program after distributing roughly $13.3 million and encumbering an additional $1.4 million, county staff told commissioners.

Why it matters: Tenants and tenant advocates told the board that some landlords refused ERAP payments or assessed fees and evicted tenants despite awards; staff said those are known problems, described the program's fraud-detection steps and recommended closing the program to new applicants to preserve remaining funds for already-approved households.

Claudia Tuck, director of Community Support Services, and April Schupping, a partner with Riggs & Ingram who assisted in program administration, presented program figures and procedural safeguards. Tuck said the county had dispersed about $13.3 million and had roughly $14.7 million dispersed or encumbered when the presentation was prepared; staff reported handling roughly 1,788 households in total (disbursed or budgeted).

Multiple tenants described distressing cases: missed opportunities to have landlords accept awards, eviction notices served while awards were pending, and complicated paperwork that delayed distributions. Pam Paris and other advocates called for county follow-up and for tenant referral to the county’s EEO and social-services staff when discrimination or landlord noncompliance is alleged.

Commissioner Cornell moved and the board approved a motion to accept the consultant’s recommendations: reallocate ERAP funds according to the attached budget amendment, close the program to new applicants within a week while continuing payments to current awardees until funds are exhausted, and authorize staff to accept and administer any future federal/state ERAP funding if allocated to the county.

What’s next: Staff will notify current awardees, coordinate with the state to seek recaptured funds, continue outreach to tenants and landlords about available options, and return to the board with implementation details if additional funds become available.